Welcome, one and all, to my home base. My administrative hub. Pardon my dust as this continues to fill in, but this is going to be a home for not only a continuation of my screening log, but also things like news, curatorial signal boosts, notes and more.

Stay tuned!

The Screening Log

In the Screening Log, I’m going to try an experiment! I know we all have Letterboxd, but I’m terrible at updating that. Besides, my goals here at Piercing Pop Culture is to call attention of films and television shows that might not getting talked about. They might be harder to find. That doesn’t mean they aren’t delightful though! Film. TV. YouTub clip? Anything is game.

See below for my Screening Log! There are going to be some of my initial thoughts and where I found watched the work. You never know, these might grow into deeper dives! I’ll update these as quickly as I’m able.

October 17, 2025

He Walked By Night (1948)

I may or may not have jumped into this with one though… a Whit Bissell deep dive. I’ve also been watching a bit of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (the TV version) and “baby” Richard Basehart had me intrigued. Then factor in a pre-most things Jack Webb? Teenage Kim was freaking out.

He Walked By Night is one of those low-budget works of noir that never quite site well with me. When the cinematography leans into its full-throated “noir” aesthetic? Amazing. The final act is a beautiful example of this tense, noir moodiness.

At the same time though, large chunks of this of the film are closer to a procedural. The closest comparison I can make is something like The Naked City or The Untouchables. If you don’t like a strong Walter Winchell-like, “Voice of God” narrator, you’re not going to like this. (Tubi)

August 28, 2025

Feast (2005)

Part of the ongoing Clu Gulager deep dive. I was a little iffy going into this one… certain horror movies always make me a little nervous. I was glad though that I watched this when I did. I think the humor was richer with a little insight into Gulager. His line about not being “an old Billy the Kid” gave me the biggest laugh… because he was Billy the Kid! This is a fairy small budget work of over-the-top horror and I honestly vibed with it a lot more than I expected to.

August 26, 2025

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

Truthfully, I wish I’d watched this a lot sooner in my life. I felt understood. I felt scene and it was honestly inspiring to hear more about Kael. I’ve always felt that she was a blindspot and after watching this, I’ve spent the last few days remedying that. (Tubi)

August 25, 2025

Ticket to Tomahawk (1950)

This was a gorgeous, but quirky picture. This somehow straddles the line between 1950s western and bubbly, 1950s musical. I kept expecting Dan Dailey to burst into song. I wanted far more Rory Calhoun though. Keep an eye out for baby Marilyn Monroe in the chorus. (YouTube)

Tight Spot (1955)

This Ginger Rogers deep dive continues. I struggled with her performance in this one though. Truthfully, I couldn’t quite separate the her work from her performance in Monkey Business. I’m not sure this noir should feel like the Cary Grant comedy from roughly the same time. However, I enjoyed Brian Kieth and positively cackled when he was on screen with Loren Greene. I’m not sure I’ll remember much else though. (YouTube)

August 24, 2025

Curse of the Swamp Creature (1968)

A meandering (apparently) Florida based low budget film. These are such a weird little subset of movies that we only get at their kookiest in the 1960s. Another typically Larry Buchanan entry. Very sweaty and awkward. For 50 minutes, it’s two separate stories that don’t entirely gel and frankly I only really vibed with one. That Jeff Alexander performance steals the show in all the scene chewing weirdness. (YouTube).

The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

A Ginger Rogers monogram cheapy. This is (on her filmography, at least) before 42nd Street and a year before Flying Down to Rio. I enjoyed the quirkiness in the big, crowded character scenes. However, outside of those moments, it didn’t spark for me. However, this is fully formed Ginger Rogers. You can tell the kid is going places. (YouTube)

Dreamboat (1952)

A film I’m going to be thinking about and maybe watching again. This had some really cool cultural insights that seemed painfully relatable today. This is a standardly delightful Clifton Webb performance, but Ginger Rogers is probably more than a bit underutilized. Ultimately, I ended up being smitten with Anne Francis (and Jeffrey Hunter). I wanted so much more of them. (YouTube)

August 22, 2025

Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1967)

A continuation of the John Agar goodness. I’ve also been slowly working my way through Larry Buchanan’s filmography this year too. This was weird, awkward and I was totally into it in a way I’m not sure I can describe. That Tony Huston performance had me weirdly intreigued. (YouTube)

August 21, 2025

The Flesh and the Spur (1956)

I need to give this one another go. Watched as part of my ongoing attempt to work through John Agar’s filmography. I wasn’t pulled in and completely lost focus… which was disappointing. This has been on my watchlist for a while. Stay tuned for a hopeful rewatch. (YouTube)

The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)

I am obsessed. I mean, this had me at hello with the fact that the location is named “Mystery Mountain”. Robert Fuller, we hardly knew yee. This now ranks among my favorite delightfully quirky movie monsters of all time. (YouTube).

Bayou– AKA Poor White Trash

At first I was irked. This once again has the vibe of a straight script given an exploitation title. However, the deeper I got into the movie I discovered there’s an unhinged undercurrent on this one that I loved. I wish everyone was in the same movie that Timothy Carey was. Also… THAT LOVE SCENE. *Chef’s Kiss* Peter Graves can apparently kill Lita Milan’s father using sex alone. (YouTube)

August 20, 2025

Flood (1976)

Okay, kids. This hit my Martin Milner sweet spot. Not a tremendous amount of actually “flooding” going on here, but who am I to judge? (YouTube)

Runaway (1973)

Ed Nelson and Martin Milner? You had me at hello, movie. I really enjoyed some of the narrative tension crafting, but it’s easy to see why a 2025 audience might be frustrated with this one. Everything feels a bit easy. Ben Johnson’s performance is a vibe. (YouTube)

The Legend of Valentino (1975)

Who would have thought Suzanne Pleshette would be the lead in a movie about Rudolph Valentino. The women in this are thrilling… Yvette Mimieux included. The men, not so much. I really struggled to see Franco Nero as Valentino. That could have been the VHS level quality though. Very TV movie. (YouTube)

August 18, 2025

When the Girls Take Over (1962)

I admit, my whole frame of reference on this film was its Letterboxd home screen. I was promised what looked to be something delightful, frolicking and frothy. I found a mediocre, low-budget comedy looking at Cuba and Castro. I’m thinking this title was changed to bring in audiences. (YouTube).

T-Bird Gang (1959)

Came for baby Ed Nelson and stayed to tick off another Roger Corman adjacent work. Really vibed with the dark, jazzy aesthetic. Feels very low budget, but in that late 1950s, smokey jazz club kinda way. I’m not sure though how much of this one is going to stay with me. (YouTube).

Superdome (1978)

A continuation of today’s Ed Nelson movie marathon.The Letterboxd reviews on this one are dismal, and I can’t entirely disagree. I really enjoyed this as a 1978 TV movie. Friends, I would watch Ken Howard read the phonebook. However, outside of the delightful cast, this was a slog. A surprising lack of football. Kept thinking about how much I liked Two Minute Warning. (YouTube).